Alice in Adelaide's Wonderland

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This playful sculpture depicts the heroine of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There. Characters from both books, including Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Duchess and the Gryphon, appear on the statue’s base. The young Alice gazes over her shoulder, perhaps musing on her decision to enter Wonderland and leave the real world behind.

Dr John Dowie AM designed the sculpture for the parklands. By the mid-20th century the parklands were being redeveloped. Beautification efforts included creating children’s playgrounds and a boat lake in Rymill Park.

Norman Lewis, founder and deputy chairman of the Beneficial Finance Commission, offered £1000 for a sculpture for children. He intended something like Sir George Frampton’s Peter Pan in Kensington Park, London, commissioned by author J.M. Barrie in 1912. However, Alice in Wonderland was chosen instead.

Cast in Italy, the sculpture was unveiled on 17 December 1962. Since then, countless children have enjoyed it.

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Adelaide City Explorer Team & East End Coordination Group and The Adelaide City Explorer Team, “Alice in Adelaide's Wonderland,” Adelaide City Explorer, accessed January 21, 2019, https://adelaidecityexplorer.com.au/items/show/107.